Traffic Bureau

Traffic Bureau FAQs

Please click on a question for an answer:

Q:
How can I find out where the vehicle is located and retrieve my
property?

If
your vehicle has been impounded by the Riverside Police
Department, you may find out where your vehicle is being
stored by calling the Police Department at (951)
826-5700. Please allow 24 hours from the time of impound
for processing. Please have your license plate number,
vehicle identification number (VIN), or police report
number available when you call. In order to remove
property from the impounded vehicle, the registered
owner must be present and possess a valid
government-issued picture identification card. Please
contact the tow company directly to make arrangements.

Vehicle
information may be obtained at the Magnolia Police
Station, 10540 Magnolia Avenue, Suite B, or at the
Orange Police Station, 4102 Orange Street, Monday
through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00
p.m.

The most common reasons a vehicle is
towed and impounded are for offenses relating to:

If the
conditions listed above are met, a Vehicle Release Form
will be issued for a fee of $20. If the vehicle was
reported stolen, the $20 fee will be waived. After you
have received a Vehicle Release Form, arrangements can
be made with the tow company to pay their fees and have
the vehicle released. For additional information
regarding the release of a vehicle under the above
circumstances, please contact the Records Bureau at
(951) 826-5700.

Q: Someone was
driving my vehicle and it was impounded. What do I do now?

If your vehicle has been impounded
because it was being operated by an unlicensed
driver or someone driving with a suspended license,
the vehicle will be held for 30 days (California
Vehicle Code Section 14602.6). In most cases, the
30-day holding period will not be waived. The
registered owner, or lien holder, of an impounded
vehicle is entitled to have an impound hearing to
determine the validity of the tow within ten (10)
business days of the date of impound. A vehicle
hearing appointment can be made by calling (951)
351-6398. Hearings are held Monday through Thursday
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. You
have the option to request to have your hearing
conducted over the phone.

After the 30 days have passed, the
registered owner will need to obtain a Vehicle
Release Form. In most cases, the 30-day holding
period will not be waived. If the impound of the
vehicle is upheld, the registered owner is
responsible for the Vehicle Release Form fee even if
the vehicle was released early. The registered owner
must provide the Police Department the following
documentation in order to claim the vehicle out of
impound:

A valid government-issued picture
identification card and/or a valid California driver
license. If the registered owner is
unlicensed, he/she must be accompanied by a driver
with a valid California driver license.

If the conditions listed above are met, a Vehicle
Release Form will be issued for a fee of $372. After
you have received a vehicle release form,
arrangements can be made with the tow company to pay
their fees and have the vehicle released. For
additional information regarding the release of a
vehicle under the above circumstances, please
contact the Records Bureau at (951) 826-5700.

Q: What if my vehicle has been impounded
because it was used in a crime?

If your vehicle has been impounded because it was
used in a crime or is evidence of a crime, contact
the hearing officer at (951) 351-6398. Be sure to
have your license plate number available and the
hearing officer will refer you to the detective
investigating your case.

Q: Where can I obtain a Vehicle Release Form?

A Vehicle Release Form may be
obtained at the Magnolia Police Station, 10540
Magnolia Avenue, Suite B, or at the Orange Police
Station, 4102 Orange Street, Monday through Friday,
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Vehicle Release Form requirements
are as follows:

1. The registered owner must be
present with a valid government-issued picture
identification card and/or a valid California driver
license.

If the registered owner is
unlicensed, he/she must be accompanied by a driver
with a valid California driver license.

2. Department of Motor Vehicles
paperwork showing the current vehicle registration
or a one-day moving pass.

3. Proof of current vehicle
insurance.

4. Pay the Release Form fee, which
is contingent to circumstances surrounding the
impound. Accepted payment forms: Cash, Credit, or
Debit cards.

Q: I am the registered owner of an impounded vehicle and unable to come to the Police Department to obtain a Vehicle Release Form. How can I get my car?

If circumstances arise
and the registered owner is unable to come to the Police Department to
obtain a Vehicle Release Form, the registered owner may (with written, notarized
authorization and proper identification) authorize someone else with a valid
California drivers’ license to pick up the vehicle.

Q: The
registered owner of the vehicle is in jail/prison and would like to release the
vehicle to me. What should I do?

If
the registered owner is in jail/prison, he/she and a
Sheriff’s Custody Deputy must sign a written letter
authorizing the vehicle to be released to a designee
who possesses a valid California driver license.The designee must then present the Riverside
Police Department this signed document, along with
current vehicle registration, proof of current
vehicle insurance, and their valid California driver
license to obtain a Vehicle Release Form. The designee will be responsible for paying
all fees associated with the release of the vehicle.

Q: I was involved in a traffic collision. How long does it take to get a
copy of the police report?

To obtain a copy of the
collision report, contact the Records Bureau at (951) 826-5700.
It may take ten (10) working days for a collision report to be ready for release.
Collisions involving major injuries may take longer due to extensive
follow-up investigations.
Involved parties may obtain a copy of the report by
filling out a copy request form and paying a $12 fee
at the Magnolia Police Station, 10540 Magnolia
Avenue, Suite B, or at the Orange Police Station,
4102 Orange Street, Monday through Friday, between
the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

In our continuing effort to improve the
processing and delivery of traffic collision
reports, we have partnered with LexisNexis and have
implemented online availability to purchase these
reports.For
an additional $10.00 convenience fee,
involved parties can purchase a Traffic Collision
Report through the LexisNexis eCrash website at
https://ecrash.lexisnexis.com/search.

Q:Where can I get a "fix-it ticket" signed off?

A “fix-it ticket” can
be signed off at either of the Riverside Police Department facilities:

4102 Orange Street

10540 Magnolia Avenue, Suite B

Vehicle inspections are conducted
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday. There is a $15.00 vehicle
inspection fee. After a “fix-it ticket” has been
signed off, you may take the “fix-it ticket”
to Traffic Court, located at 13800 Heacock Avenue,
Bldg. D #201, Moreno Valley, California, or to
Riverside Superior Court, located at 4100 Main
Street, Riverside, California, Monday through
Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You may also
call (951) 222-0384 for more information.

Q:
How do I contest a parking citation?

On the back of the parking citation, you will
find instructions that will assist you in filing
a response if you feel you were incorrectly
cited.

Drivers’ licenses are
obtained through the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) at (800)
777-0133 or www.dmv.ca.gov.

Q: What is
considered proper or valid identification?

Proper identification consists of: current California driver's
license; current out-of-state drivers’ license; current California
Department of Motor Vehicles identification card; current U.S. military
identification card; or a current passport.

Q: I was involved in a traffic collision, but I don’t agree with the findings
and/or information in the police report.What can I do?

You may make a
supplemental report at the front counter of either of the Riverside Police
Department facilities:

·4102 Orange Street

·10540 Magnolia Avenue,
Suite B

Monday through Friday,
between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. Supplemental reports may be
written at the station or brought in. Your supplemental report will be
attached to the original report written by the officer and your insurance
company will take it from there.

Q: I was involved in a non-injury collision. When I called the police,
why wouldn't they send out a police car?Or, a police officer came to the scene but didn’t take a report.

Non-injury collisions
do not require a police report. Drivers are instructed to move their
vehicles out of traffic. Once safely moved to the side of the roadway,
they should exchange drivers’ license, vehicle and insurance information.
The drivers are then required by state law to contact their insurance
companies and provide them with the information regarding the collision.
The insurance company will take it from there.

Q:
There was a major collision on the street near my house. The police
had the street closed for hours. Why did it take so long for them to
re-open the street?

Major
and fatal traffic collisions are some of the most detailed police reports
written. Highly accurate measurements are taken of the roadway,
vehicles, and evidence located in the area. These measurements are
later used to create scale drawings and diagrams of the collision scene.
This information can be used to reconstruct the collision to help determine
which party was at fault and why the collision occurred.

Q:
How do I schedule a child restraint (car seat) inspection?

The Riverside Police
Department Traffic Education Unit provides monthly fitting stations at the
Magnolia Police Facility.Additionally, through collaboration with Inland Empire Safe Kids, Riverside
County Injury Prevention Services and California Highway Patrol, inspections
are also offered through community events.Any questions can be addressed by CSB Coordinator, at (951) 826-5235 or email at jpauli@riversideca.gov.

Q:What is a Safety Cite?

Traffic Bureau encourages positive reinforcement to promote the proper use
of traffic safety equipment (helmets and pads) and safety rules (bike
riding, pedestrian and vehicle).Children are “cited” for their positive behavior and offered a chance
to win a new bicycle.

Q: Why do you have checkpoints?

The traffic bureau’s
goal is to reduce the number and severity of impaired driver related traffic
collisions, to increase DUI arrests and to educate the public on the tragic
costs of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
DUI/Drivers’ License Checkpoints are visible and effective methods of
reducing the incidence of drinking drivers.
These enforcement efforts are publicized to deter people from driving
impaired and to encourage sober designated drivers.